


Regeneration

by missdaffodil



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gay, Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:42:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28061124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missdaffodil/pseuds/missdaffodil
Summary: Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley one shot about how they fell in love.
Relationships: Lucius Malfoy/Arthur Weasley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	Regeneration

It had been three months since Molly moved out of the burrow. The Weasley children were now all grown up and moved out, so nights at home were especially lonely for Arthur. A long time ago, he would’ve been able to keep himself busy with work at the Ministry, but he had since retired.

The reasoning behind Molly leaving was something that had been completely unexpected by absolutely everybody in the Wizard community.

Around seven months ago, Arthur had been at the Leaky Cauldron for an after work butterbeer. He was happy, laughing with some friends he worked with at the Ministry, when the room almost fell silent. At the door stood Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.

The Malfoy’s were still one of the most hated families in the Wizard community. Even across the world they were extremely well-known and well-hated.

Quiet murmurs echoed throughout the pub. Arthur watched as Lucius pulled gently on Narcissa’s arm, begging for them to leave. Narcissa wasn’t having any of it. She wanted them to just get back to normal, after everything.

Their son, Draco, had left a year before. Managing to make amends with everybody he had wronged, he started teaching at Hogwarts as Potions professor, recommended by Harry Potter. He was very successful and was now much more loved than his parents.

The Malfoy parents, more specifically Lucius, had become reclusive since the battle. Only rarely was Narcissa seen, shopping here and there considering they had been restricted from having any house elves, but Lucius hadn’t been seen since the incident.

***

One day, Lucius had decided to leave the house and go to Diagon Alley. There were hobbies he had picked up on, of which he wanted to get some more books for, so he decided to take a trip. As soon as he arrived, he got stared at by all the Wizards. There was no hiding now, and as soon as he stepped foot in Diagon Alley, he wished he had used Polyjuice potion.

He continued walking, his head held high, as if nothing bothered him. But that didn’t last long at all.

There was suddenly a large pain engulfing his whole body. Yelping out, his knees buckled underneath him, and he collapsed onto the ground.

More and more pain. Slowly, Lucius managed to lift his head, and what he saw didn’t even shock him. Hoards of Wizards, crowding round him, their wands out. One after another they shot curses at him, painful ones, ones that messed with his mind, ones that caused his whole body to contract. For a moment, Lucius accepted it. Didn’t try to fight it. He decided, this was what he deserved. After everything he did, everything he made these Wizards go through, he deserved it. Although, nothing was worse than what he went through with Voldemort. That was something he never indulged with anyone.

Not until he started seeing Arthur.

While on the floor of Diagon Alley, accepting his fate, he felt arms wrap around him. At this point he was in so much pain, his ears ringing so loud, he could barely hear anything. A faint voice that he could tell was shouting, tell people to stop.

Lucius woke up somewhere he didn’t recognise. A smell of cinnamon wafted through the air, a few voices murmuring.

“And why did you bring him back here?” Said an angry woman’s voice. It was hushed, as if keeping it a secret from Lucius.

“They were hurting him, Molly. They were performing curses on him.”

“You know he bloody well deserves it.”

“Molly,” said the male voice. The same voice who had saved him.

Lucius shuffled in the bed. Both voices fell silent, then he felt the bed dip.

“Lucius.” He recognised the voice. Opening his heavy eyes, he found a familiar face in front of him.

Arthur Weasley.

“Ar-“ Lucius couldn’t get his words out, his voice felt choked and his throat tightened.

“Easy,” said Arthur softly, grabbing a glass of water from the bedside table and slowly lifting up Lucius’ head, putting the glass to his lips. Lucius sipped.

A few days it took for Arthur to nurse Lucius back to health. Molly avoided him as much as possible, and though Lucius acted like he didn’t care, it hurt him. He knew what he did was truly awful, and he didn’t blame Molly at all, but he wanted to let her know he changed.

***

That day in the Leaky Cauldron, Arthur watched as Lucius tried to get Narcissa to leave. As the quiet murmurs continued, Arthur stepped forwards, a warm smile on his face.

“Lucius, Narcissa. Let me get you both a drink.”

They sat at a table, chatting and laughing, as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Arthur would beam every time Lucius smiled, every time he laughed, every time he forgot about the staring Wizards, the glares.

That night, the two men got drunk, and went back to the burrow. Molly was out visiting Bill and Fleur. Narcissa had left the pub an hour before Lucius and Arthur did.

They collapsed onto the couch of the burrow, giggling like school children, the butterbeer and fire whiskeys making their heads swim.

“Arthur,” slurred Lucius, looking at the sweet man next to him.

“Hmm?”

“Why did you save me from those Wizards? Why did you help me?”

Arthur thought for a moment, trying to clear his thoughts that were fuzzy from the alcohol. “Because I knew you had changed. You deserved to keep living.”

“After everything I did? Everything I caused?” Lucius’ eyes filled with tears, “I was the reason for Fred.”

Arthur’s breath hitched. “It wasn’t your fault, Lucius. You were being tortured. You were desperate. Anyone would’ve done the same in your shoes.”

“How do you know?”

“I was at your hearing. I know they used veritaserum on you. I heard everything you told them.”

“Arthur…” Whispered Lucius, staring into his eyes.

Feelings spilled out of Arthur that he never thought he’d have. He realised then, that he liked Lucius. More than a friend. The same way he felt about Molly on their first date.

He could feel it all. The butterflies fluttering in his stomach. How the hairs on his arms stood up every time their clumsy hands accidentally brushed each other. Legs feeling like jelly every time Lucius’ steel grey eyes stared into his.

And that night, everything changed.

Only a few months later did Arthur tell Molly. At first, he didn’t know if it was just a drunken mistake, too many shots of fire whiskey, but every time he saw Lucius, he felt all those feelings again.

The night Arthur realised he was in love was one he would never forget.

It was just him and Lucius in the burrow. There was nervous laughter, softly spoken words, accidental hand brushing.

They entered the garage. Lucius looked around, looking at all the muggle trinkets that Arthur had collected over many years. At first, he was disgusted, spouting his distaste to how the muggles lived. But Arthur saw past it, saw the twinkle in his eye when Arthur showed him the telephone and explained how it worked.

“So, no fire calling?”

“You just speaking into this part here,” explained Arthur, pointing to the mouthpiece of the telephone. “And you hear it from this part.”

“Huh,” said Lucius, a curious frown wrinkling his forehead.

“This is one of my favourites,” said Arthur, picking up a slightly larger contraption. It looked to be made of glass, with a piece of plastic stuck to the bottom and a blade on the inside. Arthur quickly rushed Lucius back into the house and into the kitchen, where he pushed a wired piece of plastic into the wall. Lucius was taken aback that this was a way to work technology.

Then, Arthur began picking up pieces of fruit and plopping them in. Putting the lid on, he switched it on. The noise was foul, and Lucius covered his ears, complaining of course. But he watched in amazement as the fruits started to turn into a liquid. Arthur switched it off.

“It’s called a blender!”

Though an attempt was made to act as disinterested as possible, Lucius couldn’t help but be astounded.

That night, Arthur woke with a start hearing a loud buzzing noise coming from downstairs. Yawning, he stumbled down the steps, still full of sleep.

There, he found Lucius, watching the blender intently. Seven glasses had been filled with juice, Merlin knows what fruits Lucius had concocted together. As he heard Arthur enter, he turned around, a large smile on his pale, ageing face.

“Amazing!” He exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly, “Just amazing! It turns into juice! It’s like magic!”

The twinkle in his eye, the smile spread across his face, the sheer joy Arthur had never seen him exude before. And, most importantly, the extreme interest in one of Arthur’s most treasured hobbies.

Without saying anything, Arthur rushed over and grabbed Lucius’ face with his hands, pulling him close and pressing a passionate kiss upon his lips. The two melted into each other, as if this was their first kiss. Fireworks exploded all over Arthur’s body.

As he pulled away, he looked deeply into Lucius’ eyes.

“I love you.”

***

The empty burrow was now no longer empty.

Lucius had made his mark, moving in a few of his favourite items, classing up the place he had claimed. But Arthur didn’t mind, he found it rather endearing.

The kids, at first, were absolutely disgusted with the idea. Not with Arthur being with another man, but with it being Lucius Malfoy of all people. But, one by one the children came around to it, after seeing how much happier Arthur had been.

And Arthur was happy. The happiest he had felt in a very long time.

Nobody had expected to see Lucius so full of life after the war, after the torture he had received upon the hands of Voldemort, after the Dementors sucking the soul out of him nightly for a whole year in Azkaban.

Lucius changed for the better. He got involved in everything Arthur did to do with muggles. They went on trips to muggle cities, sitting in cafes sipping coffee, watching movies in the theatre. Lucius donated a massive sum of money to a cause to help muggleborns feel accepted in the Wizarding community. They allowed muggleborns to move into the manor, of course after getting Narcissa a beautiful quaint cottage in the countryside. Lovely Narcissa, who had instantly accepted everything that Lucius had told her, who just wanted her now ex-husband to be happy.

They allowed the muggleborns to stay there, for as long as they needed, if they were excluded from the community for being muggleborn. It was almost like a hotel, but purely for muggleborns, and they fought against the pureblood ideals.

Molly came round to the idea in the end. It took her much longer, but she got there, and now the four spent lots of time together.

It was almost like a rebirth for Lucius and Arthur. And though they were in the second half of their life on this earth, they felt as though they were brand new. As if they were teens again.

They had truly found themselves, accepted themselves, and began to live as authentically as they possibly could.


End file.
